A Gujarati who knows Tadoba reserve tigers like the back of his hand

VADODARA: He spent his entire life in Gujarat where no tigers are spotted. But ask Jignesh Patel anything about tigers and he will dish out all the details as if he knows the animal like the back of his hand. It is not without a reason that Patel, a naturalist by profession, is the most sought after man in Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Right from tourists to wildlife enthusiasts and visitors to Tadoba make it a point to meet Patel who recently published his book on tigers in Tadoba.
“This is the first of its kind book where the tigers living in Tadoba have been profiled. The book contains details about the tiger reserve, rare photos of the tigers along with other animals,” Patel, who has been working at a private lodge in Tadoba for last eight years, told TOI. “I have profiled 50 different tigers in my profile that includes their description and age. Eight of them are legendary tigers,” Patel, 35, said.
“Whenever a visitor came to Tadoba, he or she used to ask a lot of questions about the sanctuary, the tigers and other living beings here. Also, there used to be a lot of confusion about the identity of tigers. Over last few years, I had developed my own technique of identifying tigers. I can identify a tiger just by looking at its face and walk,” Patel added.
It was then that Patel’s friends and colleagues suggested that he should share his knowledge with others and write a book. “I began working on the book two years ago and it was recently released in Tadoba. Harsh Mahajan, a Barodian who took photos of tigers in Tadoba, also contributed to my book,” Patel said. Interestingly, Patel is a fine arts graduate from M S University and hasn’t taken any formal training in wildlife.
“I learnt everything about the tigers by reading books. It was my sheer passion that drove me to become a naturalist,” he added.